1. Article 1: The Legislative Branch Chapter 6 Section 1

2. Article I=The Legislative Branch Section I: Legislative Powers Legislative Department = Law Making Branch HOR+SEN= Congress, 535 Members Great Compromise established a bicameral legislature which included the Senate= Upper House House of Representatives= Lower House The framers of the Constitution wanted this to be the most powerful branch.

3. Terms in Congress Each Congress = 2 years Term starts Jan. 3 of odd years and given a # 2011-2013 = 112 th Congress Calender Sessions 2 sessions per term. Usually from Jan.- Nov. Will meet for special circumstances/ emergency Joint Session- when both HOR and SEN meet together

4. Section II: House of Representatives 435 Members Clause I: Representatives serve 2 year terms and have no term limits Clause II: Qualifications 25 years of age Be a citizen for at least 7 years Maintain residence in which state that which you represent

5. Section II: House of Representatives Clause III: Determining the # of Representatives Each state is allotted at least one Representative No more than 1 Rep. per 30,000 people Census every 10 years will determine the allotted # of Reps.

7. Section II: House of Representatives Clause IV: Filling Vacancies If a Representative is unable to fulfill his duties as Reps then a Writs of Election will be issued to order a special election.

8. Section II: House of Representatives Clause V Speaker of the House is elected by the representatives. Typically belongs to the majority party. Sets the HOR calendar. Gives power to the majority party. Currently John Boehner 60 minutes Minority Leader, Nancy Pelosi

9. Section II: House of Representatives Clause V cont. House is given the power of impeachment Bringing charges against an official Nixon's Impeachment

10. Congressional Districts Each state is divided into at least 1 or more districts. State legislatures draw the boundaries so that they include roughly equal number of constituents. States abuse this process by gerrymandering which is an oddly shaped district to increase the strength of a certain party. Ex) district 12

11. NC Representatives; Dist. 9& 12 http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ Sue Myrick, R, District 9 Mel Watt, D, District 12

13. Perks of being a Congressman $174,000 salary for both Representatives and Senators Free parking, office space, trips to their home state, free job related mail, gym membership, medical clinic, restaurant deals, and low cost life insurance.